Cook puts free vote on foxhunting in doubt

PLANS to press ahead with a free vote on foxhunting in England and Wales were put in doubt yesterday by Robin Cook, Leader of the Commons.

As pro-hunt campaigners launched legal challenges to a Scottish ban on hunting with dogs, he refused to give MPs a firm commitment on whether the Government would hold a vote at Westminster during this parliamentary session.

In a carefully-crafted sentence, he said he "knew of no reason" why the commitment in the Queen's Speech to a free vote would not be fulfilled.

Sources close to the Cabinet said ministers were very nervous about how to proceed, given the "messy" situation in Scotland, and wanted to wait for legal challenges to be resolved before going forward.

Last year, a Bill setting out three options on the future of hunting was sent to the House of Lords, where peers voted to keep the status quo.

Labour's manifesto promised MPs a fresh chance to deal with the issue during this session. Gerald Kaufman, the former Labour minister, told Mr Cook that backbenchers were "totally fed up" with the Government's procrastination.

He said there had been ample time to bring forward legislation banning the sport. In Scotland, the situation was chaotic, with some Conservatives claiming the Scottish ban allowed people to go out on horseback with dogs for pest control purposes.

Provided the fox was shot and not given to the dogs at the end, the activity was allowed. The Scottish Countryside Alliance said the Scottish ban, due to come into effect in the autumn, before the next hunting season, violated Article One of the European Convention on Human Rights.

That section of the convention states that no one should be deprived of their property or livelihood without proper justification or in the public interest.

The alliance also claimed the ban contravened Article Eight, which protects the right of individuals to enjoy their way of life without interference from the state.